You can search most public records for free online by going straight to the government agency that created them: county clerks for court and property files, each state’s Secretary of State for business entities, PACER and CourtListener for federal cases, SEC EDGAR for public-company filings, state health departments for vital records, and FOIA.gov when no portal exists. Knowing how to search public records for free online is mostly a matter of knowing which agency holds what, and recognizing the commercial lookalike sites that charge for information the government gives away.
How to Tell an Official Site From a Data Broker
Commercial data brokers buy search ads aggressively and often appear above the real government page. They repackage free public data and charge subscriptions or per-search fees for it. Before entering any personal information or payment details, check the URL.
Legitimate government sites in the United States use the .gov top-level domain, which federal law restricts to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government bodies.1Digital.gov. Requirements for the Registration and Use of .gov Domains in the Federal Government If a URL ends in .com, .org, or .net, you are not on an official site. A fast filter: add site:.gov after your search terms in Google. That limits results to verified government domains.
Other warning signs include demands for credit card information before any results appear, bundled “instant background checks,” and privacy policies that mention sharing your data with marketing partners. Official portals never charge just to search. Small duplication or certification fees sometimes apply after you find what you need.
Court and Criminal Records
State and Local Court Cases
Civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, traffic cases, and family law matters are kept by the clerk of court in the county or city where the case was filed. Most clerk offices now offer free online portals where you can search by name or case number and see dockets, hearing dates, motions, and sentencing outcomes. How deep the records go varies. Some jurisdictions post full document images; others show docket entries only and require a courthouse visit for the actual filings.
If you don’t know which county handled a case, start at the state judiciary’s website. Several states run a centralized case search that spans all counties. Where no statewide tool exists, search county by county, beginning with where the person lives or where the incident occurred.
Federal Court Cases
Federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate court records are available through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system.2PACER. PACER Case Locator PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document.3PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work For most people PACER is effectively free: if your account accrues $30 or less in a quarterly billing cycle, the fees are waived entirely.4United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule Track your quarter and you can pull hundreds of pages without paying.
To skip PACER entirely, try the RECAP Archive at CourtListener.com. It hosts millions of federal court documents that other PACER users have already downloaded and donated to the public archive. Searching is free, and if the document you want is there, PACER never enters the picture.
Inmate and Offender Lookups
The Federal Bureau of Prisons runs a free inmate locator covering everyone held in the federal system from 1982 to the present, searchable by name or BOP register number.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Locator State departments of correction maintain equivalent tools for state prisons, and many county jails publish current rosters.
For sex offender registries, the Department of Justice’s Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov searches participating state, territorial, and tribal registries at once.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 34 – 20922 Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website Individual state registries often add detail like maps showing offender locations near schools and parks.
Property and Business Records
Property Ownership and Taxes
Property records sit at the county level. The county assessor handles tax valuations. The recorder of deeds, also called the register of deeds or county clerk depending on the state, keeps ownership transfers, mortgages, and liens. Nearly every county now has a free online portal where you can search by address, owner name, or parcel number and see assessed value, tax payment history, and the chain of transfers.
These searches are useful before buying property. You can spot outstanding tax liens, recorded mortgages, and easements that affect value or use. Viewing is free. Certified copies for use in legal proceedings usually carry a small fee.
Business Entity and UCC Filings
Every state’s Secretary of State (or equivalent) maintains a free, searchable registry of businesses formed or authorized in the state. You can see articles of incorporation or organization, the registered agent for service of legal process, annual report filings, and whether the entity is in good standing. If you need to find out who owns or controls a company, start here.
Many Secretary of State offices also hold Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings. A UCC search shows whether a company has pledged its assets as collateral on a loan, which matters when extending credit or evaluating a business acquisition.
Public Company Filings
Publicly traded companies file financial disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and every filing is free through the EDGAR database.7U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Search Filings Search by company name or ticker symbol and you can pull annual reports (10-K), quarterlies (10-Q), insider trading disclosures, and proxy statements. EDGAR’s full-text search covers over 20 years of filings and lets you filter by date, filing type, or company.
Vital Records
Birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, and divorce decrees are state records, usually held by the state’s department of health or vital records office. The federal government does not hold or distribute them. The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics publishes a “Where to Write for Vital Records” directory with links to each state’s office and application instructions.8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records
This is where “free” has limits. Some state or county online indexes let you confirm that a birth or marriage occurred at no cost, but obtaining a certified copy of the actual certificate almost always costs money. Fees generally run from $10 to $30 per copy. Request from the state where the event occurred, not where you live now. Older records predating state systems may be held by county clerks.
Military Service Records
Military service records, including the DD Form 214 that veterans need for benefits, are held by the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis and accessed through the National Archives.9National Archives. Request Military Service Records Veterans and next of kin can submit requests online through the eVetRecs portal at vetrecs.archives.gov, which uses ID.me for identity verification. You can also download Standard Form 180, sign it, and mail or fax it in.10National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
Requests are free, but access is restricted. Federal privacy law limits who can obtain service records to the veteran, next of kin of a deceased veteran (with proof of death), and authorized government representatives. The general public cannot pull someone else’s military file.
When the Record Isn’t Online: Filing a Records Request
If no portal returns what you need, you’ll have to file a written request. At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives any person the right to request records from executive-branch agencies.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 5 – 552 Public Information All 50 states have their own versions under names like Open Records Act, Public Records Law, and Right to Know Law. Mechanics vary, but the core process is similar.
What to Include
Vagueness is the main reason requests get delayed or denied. Asking for “all records related to” a broad topic invites rejection as overly burdensome. Identify the specific documents you want: exact dates or date ranges, full names of the people involved, case or file numbers if you have them, and the type of document (emails, inspection reports, contracts, meeting minutes). The more precise the request, the faster the response.
Figure out which level of government holds the records and which specific office within that level is the custodian. A federal contract request goes to the contracting agency, not the Department of Justice. A local building inspection request goes to the municipal code enforcement office, not the state. A good request sent to the wrong agency just adds weeks while it gets redirected.
How to Submit
For federal agencies, FOIA.gov is the centralized portal where you can submit requests to any FOIA-covered agency.12FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act Many agencies also accept requests by email or through their own FOIA portals. For a paper trail, certified mail with return receipt gives you proof of delivery, which matters if you later challenge a delayed response.
Federal agencies must respond within 20 business days of receiving a request.13U.S. Department of Justice. Responding to Requests State deadlines range widely: some require a response within three business days, others allow up to 20, and a few set no specific deadline. “Respond” means the agency must acknowledge the request and either provide the records or explain why it can’t, not necessarily hand over the documents in that window. Complex requests take longer, and agencies may contact you to narrow the scope or discuss fees.
What Agencies Can Withhold
Not everything the government holds is public. Federal FOIA carves out nine categories agencies can withhold, and state laws have their own exemption lists.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 5 – 552 Public Information The federal exemptions cover classified national security information; internal personnel rules; information another statute requires be kept confidential; trade secrets and confidential commercial data; inter- or intra-agency deliberative memos and drafts (though that privilege expires after 25 years); personnel, medical, and similar files where disclosure would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy; law enforcement investigative files whose release could interfere with proceedings, expose a confidential source, endanger safety, or deprive someone of a fair trial; bank regulator examination reports; and geological data about wells.
The privacy and law enforcement exemptions are the ones most people hit. They’re why you can’t FOIA someone’s tax returns, medical records, or the details of an open criminal investigation. When an agency withholds under an exemption, it must identify which one applies and redact only the protected portions, releasing the rest.
Fees, Waivers, and Keeping It Free
Searching online government databases is almost always free. Costs show up when you request copies, especially through formal FOIA or state records requests. Federal agencies and most state agencies charge for duplication, and some charge for staff search and review time. Per-page duplication typically runs between $0.10 and $0.25.
Under federal FOIA, fees depend on who you are. Commercial requesters pay for search time, review, and duplication. Journalists and educational or scientific researchers pay duplication costs only, with the first 100 pages free. Everyone else gets two free hours of search time and 100 free pages.14FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act: Frequently Asked Questions For most individual research, those allowances cover the full request.
You can also ask for a fee waiver. Federal agencies must waive fees when disclosure is in the public interest because it would significantly contribute to public understanding of government operations, and the request is not primarily for commercial purposes.14FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act: Frequently Asked Questions The bar is real. Requests for your own records generally don’t qualify, and inability to pay is not a legal basis for a waiver. You need to explain what the records will reveal about government activity and how that information will reach a wider audience. Journalists and researchers clear this bar most easily.
Appealing a Denial
When an agency denies a request, withholds records you believe should be public, or charges fees you think are improper, you can appeal. Under federal law, agencies must allow at least 90 days from the date of a denial to file an administrative appeal.15FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act Statute An “adverse determination” includes partial redactions, claims that records don’t exist, and refusals to waive fees or grant expedited processing, not just full denials.16United States Department of Justice. Administrative Appeals
Filing an appeal is straightforward and free. Include a copy of your original request, the agency’s response, and a brief explanation of why the denial was wrong. Address it to the agency head or the appeals officer named in the denial letter. Many initial denials get overturned, particularly when the original decision relied on an exemption that doesn’t actually fit the records or when the agency’s search was inadequate. If the administrative appeal fails, the next step is federal court, where costs climb significantly, but a well-reasoned appeal that cites the exemption and explains why it doesn’t apply often resolves the issue without litigation.